Dark Protection
by technofever
Summary: Rose Hathaway is finding it difficult to keep her life together especially after the recent events. With danger testing her every move, she begins to realize that freedom is not an option in her life.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the characters of Vampire Academy.

**This is my continuation of the next chapter of Shadow Kiss. You can find the excerpt on Richelle Mead's site**

"Rose." The moment I heard my name, I deliberately threw my covers 10 feet off my bed and sat up, which I immediately regretted because the room began to spin.

"Lissa?" I must have slept in. I turned to look at my clock by the bedside, it was 9.

"Shoot!" I jumped out of bed and picked a pair of jeans off my chair and a clean shirt, " Today's the first day of training week, ugh."

As I poked my head through my shirt, I could feel a weird sensation of giddiness through the bond, as my stresses of training week began to evaporate. I finally found the opening to my shirt , only to see Lissa smiling at me. It was a relief to know that she was happy and not as effected as I was after the recent events, but why the suddenness?

"What? Did I miss something?" I asked as she began to toy with an invisible lint on my bedsheet, full smile still on her face.

She looked up, eyes glowing," I don't know, I just had such a great night last night." Oh, that's what was on her mind. Well, apparently I knew exactly how great it was.

I paused, " Oh..really? " I decided to save her the embarrassment of knowing that I had already seen and felt a jist of it through the bond, unintentionally of course.

Her smile faltered," Aw, Rose.. you felt it all didn't you. I'm so embarrassed!" I guess it didn't work.

"No..Well, yeah. But I tried to get out as soon as I realized what was happening and if you two were sleeping..in your respective beds last night then it wouldn't have happened, but I guess now I don't have to ask you how it went ?" I said playfully with a smile.

She rolled her eyes at that and smiled back, and threw a sweater off the bed and in my direction except my reflexes were way too quick and I caught it just in time.

" Good luck on your training, I can't wait for you to be my guardian for the next six weeks, you'll be great." I felt her sincerity through the bond as I quickly shot her a smile and ran out the door before I would be late.

As I fast walked towards the stairwell , I quickly remembered last nights events and Dimitri's conversation with Alberta. The one I wasn't supposed to hear, but it reminded me that he wouldn't be here today for training. This started the fury inside me all over again because Dimitri was out at some trial with Victor Dashkov, while Lissa and I were stuck here at the Academy, hoping to God that he wouldn't be set free. On another note, I remembered that I haven't told Lissa about what I had witnessed last night about Victor's trial, or the other thing. _Mason._

I figured it was for the best, because I wouldn't want to put extra stress on Lissa especially after she was doing so well on being happy this morning, and if they were smart they would see that Victor is guilty and probably wouldn't even have the chance of being released, right? Also, I was probably just feeling lonely last night and Mason was just being the great friend he was by showing himself, even in my imagination. I missed him so damn much. I felt so silly for even being frightened.

"Hathaway, you're late. " One of the guardians with short black hair and a clipboard in his hands said, as every novice in the gym turned to look at me. Great, what a wonderful way to start training week.

"Sorry, my alarm didn't go off " I quickly entered the gym before I could get any more embarassed.

"Anyways, you will be assigned a Moroi who you will protect night and day, while us guardians will be marking you on your responsibility, seriousness, technique... " He went on and on about how we were going to be marked and tested, but honestly all I was thinking about was if they didn't give me the position of being guardian for Lissa, that WOULD be something to test.

Fortunately, after going through all the rules and lectures of being a responsible guardian and how it could affect us greatly if we didn't take it seriously , I opened up the card that the black haired man with the clipboard had handed out to us individually , which held the names of the Moroi that we would have to protect for the next 6 weeks.

"_Vasilisa Dragomir_" I sighed in relief. I couldn't imagine anyone else protecting her but me and it was a relief to know that I would be protecting my best friend, and I was sure she would be happy too. While the gym began to get louder with everyone comparing and discussing with eachother who they got and whatnot, I tried to concentrate on where Lissa could be, through the bond, so that I could go find her and tell her about the news.

"Little Dhampir" Unfortunately, I knew that voice anywhere.

I turned to see Adrian standing there with a grin on his face. That wasn't surprising. Adrian usually had that stupid grin on his face, as if he was thinking sensual thoughts, which wasn't unordinary for him, especially when he was speaking to me. What surprised me though, was seeing Lissa standing beside him with an eager smile on her face as if she couldn't wait to tell me something. Although, something about her eagerness told me that I wasn't going to enjoy hearing what she had to say.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer : I don't own anything :)  
I wrote this sort of in a rush, because I got all these reviews and I didn't want to disappoint. So i guess if you want more?.. you know what to do.  
**

"Did you have a nice walk last night ? " Ugh, my day had just started and Adrian's obnoxious voice was already on my nerves. Wait, how did he know about my --

"What? What walk Rose?" Lissa's eager face was then turned to a questioning look towards Adrian and then back to me.

"Umm.. I couldn't sleep last night, you know.. get some fresh air? " I rubbed my neck trying not to show any suspicion. After all, that **WAS** the reason why I had decided to sneak out, she didn't need to know the details. I made an attempt to change the subject, " So, besides the fact that Adrian was following me last night , I just found out that I'm going to be your guardian for my training Lissa, isn't that great?!"

"Oh my gosh Rose, I knew it !" She hugged me eagerly shaking off the suspicion, which reminded me immediately that Adrian was still standing there and I still had no idea why.

I looked to Adrian, " Are you done following me or do you plan on following my best friend now too? Because if you haven't heard, I'm going to be her guardian and I **DON'T** mind practicing on you" I quirked my eyebrow at him, to show that he shouldn't mess with me or Lissa if he even got around to planning it. I was totally prepared to hear some dirty comeback that Adrian usually delivered after being threatened by me, except I doubted any of my smart comebacks were prepared for what Lissa said next.

"No no Rose, it's okay. He was walking me to class before I told him that I wanted to stop by and see you. " I could see Adrian grin from my peripheral. I was ready to engrave my fist into that smile.

"Yeah little dhampir, we were just talking about-- " Lissa cut him off.

"Wait, Iwant to be the one to tell her" She said as she looked at Adrian, then turned to me, "the second reason I came here was to tell you something important.. " She said as she began to play with her hands.

"Lissa , you can tell me anything." As I said those words, I felt like such a hypocrite . After all, I was keeping so many secrets away from her, including my close relationship with Dimitri, and even though we could never get that far together, she still deserved to know. That was besides the point.

"You see, I know you'll be upset and .." She started.

"Just tell me !" I was growing impatient, especially with Lissa looking back and forth from me to Adrian.

"Okay, I've decided to start experimenting with my magic again.. with Adrian's help..." I knew I wouldn't like this, "You know.. like see if I could do what Adrian can do, and explore my healing powers more." She paused, "Rose, don't give me that look, you know you could trust me." I could feel the lines forming between my brows as I gave Adrian the most menacing look I could possibly deliver.

"Ok, I'll let you two have your little girl talk , I'll see you later Vasilisa. You too Rose" He said with a wink and walked off in some direction, probably to smoke. I rolled my eyes behind his back, and turned back to Lissa.

"Lissa, it's not you I don' trust.. it's HIM. Ugh, if he weren't so obnoxious, crazy and creepy, maybe I would feel a little less worried. But I am. And besides, you know what the magic could do to you. " I could feel through the bond that Lissa's mind was already set on it and that whatever I said wouldn't be enough to stop her, but it was worth a shot.

"Look, I know what the magic can do to me and I know that, well.. Adrian isn't the most trustworthy guy around" I scoffed at that, "But he's the only one I know that can help me with this. I've been alone for a while, thinking that I was the only one with this ability. It helps knowing that there is somebody that I can share it with." Her big green eyes showed yearning as they plead for my consent. If Lissa was going to start spending time with this freak, then as her guardian I was going to have to be there with her every step of the way.. even if I didn't agree with it.

"Fine. But, I'm going to have to be with you at every meeting you have with Adrian. I don't want him to make you do anything that you wouldn't want to do, and if anything happens... well, yeah."

"Thank you, thank you Rose!" She hugged me tightly, for the second time, " You're the best. And, definately. I'm sure Adrian wouldn't mind spending more time with TWO girls " She winked and nudged me playfully.

"So where's ..Christian this morning ? " It was sort of an awkward subject at the moment, but I guess she had so much on her mind this morning that she didn't sense the awkwardness in my tone.

"Oh! that's right, I was supposed to meet him in the library a few minutes ago. How about we catch up and I'll see you at lunch Ok? Thanks again Rose!" She squeezed my shoulder slightly and ran off in a hurry, probably to get more make out time with Christian in the library. _Gross_.

So what was I supposed to do now? I had no classes, because it was training week, and the person I was supposed to be protecting as of now, was off to reunite with her boyfriend..once again. And well, _Dimitri_... I just couldn't think of what he was doing right now at Victor Dashkov's trial, so I began to walk in the direction of the stairwell to get to my dorm.

When I reached my room, the door was slightly opened. That was so unlike Lissa, to leave my door open after my hasty mornings, because usually she would shut it for me . Maybe she forgot to shut it all the way and it didn't lock.

I continued towards my bed. I felt a bit chilly in my room, and silently cursed this place, they really should start putting the heater up in here. So I headed towards my closet to put on a sweater. As I turned around, a gasp escaped my mouth. I felt frozen into place. My eyes felt like they could not move any further away from their sockets, my hands continued to shake and for a while, it felt like I had forgotten how to breathe. Come on Rose, you are not afraid, it's just your imagination..._you are not afraid_.

"M.m..mason."

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I really don't have a great idea where i'm going with this but stay with me =} it'll come.  
Technofever.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Richelle Mead owns. **

**ok i know i know.. this took waaaaay too long for its own good. and the book is coming out tomorrow so i dont think i'll be finishing this unless i get the inspiration or something or if i get really bored. anyways this is totally not edited either, i just wanted to satisfy you awesome people.  
SOOOO DONT FORGET TO GET YOUR SHADOW KISS BOOKS TOMORROW PEOPLE. unless you preordered :) 3 thanks for reading.  
**

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I didn't know if my ears had become disabled along with the rest of my body parts, but when Mason, or mason's ghost I should say, just stood there motionless, my insides began to tighten.

Could ghosts even talk back? I don't know, but as I waited for a response, or if I was still dreaming-- to wake up, I decided to take a good look at Mason. I started with his hair. It still held that brightness, as if it mirrored his personality. His jaw, so strong yet soft at the same time. Those eyes. I don't know what it was about his eyes, but it gave me a familiar look. Like, he was worried.. he wanted to tell me something. My eyes continued to move down his face, until they reached his neck. I felt myself wince slightly, and found it hard to swallow that lump in the back of my throat . I saw the marks that reminded me of that day we had encountered with the Strigoi, when he came back to save me and .. Oh God, I had to look away.

As soon as I looked back up, he was gone.

What was wrong with me? Seeing things was definately not normal, especially if it was your dead ex- boyfriend. After seeing those marks on Mason's neck a few minutes ago, it refreshed my emotions towards Strigoi. I hated every one of them! Especially the one that killed Mason. How could someone just kill an innocent life without thinking twice about it ? Even with them gone, It felt as if revenge wasn't good enough. I just wanted to kill every single one of them for even being alive, or dead. After all, they are immortal. What happened to people just dying and never coming back, was it that hard?

After a few moments of laboured breathing, I came back to my senses. What was I thinking? where did these harsh thoughts come from? I no longer had the sudden urge to go on a rampage, but the feeling of hatred was still kept inside at a low.

"Woah.. "

"What on earth are you doing here? " I realized that I have been standing in this spot for a while now, because when I went to take a step towards the door to shut it in Adrians face, walking suddenly felt foreign to me.

" What's with all the .. " he made some weird motion with his hands as if there was a big bubble around me.

" You didn't answer my question." I couldn't help but be rude to Adrian, I was oddly in a bad mood, more so than I usually was around him. He didn't seem to notice.

" It's like .. pure black.. with..a bit of red. Rose, have you been.... nevermind."

"What? What is it? " My mood all of a sudden became eager.

"Well it changed now but, a few minutes ago.. " Was I even here? He was completely ignoring me. I decided to cross my arms and just wait.

He finally came back from his far look, and looked me straight in the eyes.

"You definately need to get out more and do something. How about you come downstairs and have a few drinks with us in the lounge? And don't worry I've already invited Lissa, that way you could protect your little friend and at the same time have some fun for once. I'm beginning to think that your turning 40 instead of 18." He scoffed at his own remark .

"Wait, how did you know it's my birthday soon? " I caught him there

"Lissa told me, so are you coming or not? They're all waiting for us." I couldn't tell if he was lying about Lissa telling him about my birthday because that just didn't seem like something Lissa would tell somebody ( not that I cared ), but if he had actually followed me when I had spoken to Dimitri that one morning, how much had he actually heard?

I could feel a tinge of his compulsion working on me as his eyes penetrated mine own, but even without the compulsion I had already decided to just go with him and the others, I did not feel comfortable enough to stay in my room just yet.

I followed Adrian a few steps behind so that people wouldn't suspect anything between us, and also so that he wouldn't get the satisfaction of making any contact with me through the brush of an arm or something. We passed through the main hallway and cafeteria towards the lobby. A bunch of people were still awake and roaming around. I began to wonder if I was really in the mood of a few drinks and hanging out, I didn't feel like getting caught tonight. Things have seriously changed.

We kept walking, and even passed a bunch of guardians who's backs were all against us. There was probably only four of them together, but they they were talking in low muffles, not loud enough for me to hear them but enough for me to know that they were discussing something important. I was curious as to what they were talking about.

As we rounded the corner to the lounge and had caught sight of where Lissa and them were sitting, Adrian startled me with his comment, " Isn't that your mentor boyfriend? " If it were any other day I would have rolled my eyes at that and kept on walking, but today, I would believe anything.

I looked to see where Adrian had been looking, before he had walked off to go meet the others. It was the far entrance of the Academy. There he was, with a serious look on his face and a tense Alberta walking beside him, as the rest of the guards kept up their pace along them. He caught my eyes for a short second, and as if he had not seen me looking right at him just now, he kept on walking in the direction he was going.

* * *

**YEAH , thats right.. DIMITRI IS BACK. **

**ok so i dont know if i should actually finish this, but if you guys really really want me to..even after reading the real version of the book, i just might. :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: you know whos it is:) Richelle Mead's. If it were mine, i would think of a way to bring back.. you know who. **

**soo, i read shadow kiss in one day. yes. ONE DAY. from 3- 11. eight hours of straight reading. anyways i loved it loved it loved it. I couldn't help but laugh at the parts where I was ALMOST close, like after she saw mason, Rose was all like " A lump formed in my throat" but in mine i was all like "and found it hard to swallow that lump in the back of my throat" which you guys probably don't care about right now :) so its ok. but yeah i wrote this short chapter the day before i read the book, and I could never find the courage to put it up after because.. well the real one is way better. i would have changed the ending maybe? :P but no it was perfect. I might start a new one about maybe Rose's quest to find Dimitri but for now, i'm going to take a hiatus on this. IM SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG. AND IM SORRY THIS MESSAGE IS EVEN LONGER. :|**

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How could one look make your world come crashing down. How could one person look at you and make you feel so important and change you all at the same. All it took was one look..

Dimitri's face kept replaying in my mind. That look of anguish before he turned to walk away with the other guardians.

If I were the old Rose in this situation, I would have let my ego get the best of me by finding the next boy I could find to cover up the embarrassement I felt.

If I were the old Rose, I would have gone into that lounge and sipped on a couple of drinks with my friends to try and forget about stupid Dimitri.

If I were the old Rose, I would have walked away right now thinking that I could get anyone I wanted, so why should I care about this one?

But I was the new Rose. The one who cared too much about Dimitri to forget how he made me feel. And without knowing it, my legs began to take me in the direction of none other than, Dimitri.

What concerned me was that if he was back, that would have to mean that the trial was over and that the court had made a decision about Victor Dashkov.

Just thinking about him made me shiver. I had to know what was wrong. What was making Dimitri, even Alberta, look so tense? I knew for a fact that Dimitri had seen me, and that he was avoiding me for a reason. I deserved to know.

"We're going to get back on our regular shifts starting tomorrow. As for tonight, Celeste is still scheduled to take your night shift so I guess that means you have the night off." Dimitri nodded at Alberta's authority, "I didn't think we would be able to get back this quickly. " Alberta shook her head in some sort of disapproval, and turned to walk towards the door, which was also in my direction.

I quickly walked a few paces away from the door and turned around and came back, trying to walk nonchalantly, so to not make it seem like I was just eavesdropping right now. If anybody was around to watch, they would think that I was a lunatic. Well, they were probably right.

Alberta acknowledged me with a nod as we passed eachother. As soon as she turned the corner, I steered towards Dimitri's office and stopped at the threshold. Dimitri looked up from where he was sitting.

"Roza."

Hearing his voice say my name like that just gave me the sudden urge to sigh in relief. It made me forget why I came here in the first place. And it reminded me that, Dimitri wasn't someone that could easily be replaced.

"Hey comrade," I tried not to let the relief and desperation show, " back so soon? "

Something about my question made him tense up all over again. He stood up and walked past me to shut the door lightly. The smell of his aftershave wafted through my nose, and it made me realize how much I missed it. _Him_.

I waited for Dimitri to walk back in front of me but he just stood at the door and honestly, it felt like his eyes were burning the back of my head. I kept my back to him, afraid of seeing what was written on his face.

I could have sworn I heard him hesitate before he said, "They know about us. "

If it were any other time, I would have relished in the fact that he had used the term "us", which meant that there _was_ an "us". But instead, I had a feeling that this wasn't the right time to speak up about it.


End file.
